Memorial of the Martyrs

Today we remember the first martyrs of the Church of Rome. June 30th is recognized on the liturgical calendar as a memorial to the early Christians who sacrificed their lives for their faith. During Emperor Nero's reign (64 AD), the Great Fire of Rome devastated the city. Speculation blamed the catastrophic event on the unpopular emperor, so in an effort to avoid suspicion of his failed leadership, Nero turned the accusations toward the newly formed Christian community. This led to the brutal, public persecution and death of many martyrs en masse prior to the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. The faith of these martyrs inspired many converts in Rome and contributed to the growth of the young Church.

Persecution has been a consistent presence in the Catholic church since Jesus walked the earth. Here in the United States, especially in the South, we are spoiled with being surrounded, accepted and encouraged in our faith. Often times, a mass is selected based on preferred features such as the music, a particular priest, a favorite time of day, the use of incense (or not), or a preferred language, and the list goes on and on. Many people are so busy that they "church hop" around the activities of life, which allows for extreme comfort in a faith routine because every Sunday there's a mass every hour, on the hour, within 20 minutes in any direction (as late as 9:00 p.m. in Lafayette, LA). What an amazing blessing - so many opportunities to worship our Lord! For our brothers and sisters around the world, this is not the case. Many devote themselves without fail to stringent routines, sacrifices, and even offer their very lives to attend mass weekly. I recently read a statistic that in Nigeria, which is one of the countries of greatest persecution, 94% of adults self-identified as Catholics attend mass at least weekly. In the United States, it's a mere 24% (5% of which attend via online or television). That statistic hit me deep in my core! How can this be? In one of the highest rated countries of religious persecution, the attendance rate is soaring. A leading Nigerian priest explained, “This is the mystery of our faith: The blood of the martyrs remains the seed of Christianity."

This post is not intended to create feelings of guilt or shame. Our family certainly "church-hopped" for a preferred mass time when our kids were younger, and many times we bumped to the next mass on the list because I was running late, so trust me that there's no judgment coming from this lady! Instead, this information is intended to evoke a feeling of gratitude and reverence for the blessings God has given us! Let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who died for their faith and for those who continue to face persecution daily. Lord, fill us with a sense of gratitude, inspired by their example of courage and strength.

First martyrs of the Holy Roman Church, pray for us!